Japanese Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Differences and Interesting Facts This feature is made in comparison to the european version of 'Sonic the Hedgehog 2'

Okay, to begin I must make it clear that the actual gameplay of the japanese 'Sonic the Hedgehog 2' is in no way different to the european version. It plays exactly the same, it has the same bugs, it's even in english! But that's not the point of this article. During this feature I will tell you about the differences in cartridge art, the cartridge itself, the cover art, the instruction manuals (yes, there's 2!) and the references to Sonic 2 Beta in the instruction manual. To begin with I'd like to show you how I play japanese games on my european Megadrive. I use this: IMAGE This adapter allows me to plug japanese games into the top and then I insert the whole thing into my Megadrive. It is a very handy piece of kit but it is very difficult for me to get my hands of japanese Megadrive games. The reason why I'm telling you this is because I had the idea of running the japanese Sonic 2 locked onto my european Sonic & Knuckles. The end result looks a little something like this: IMAGE If that isn't funny enough then you'll be shocked to find out that when you run the game it actually works! You can actually play 'Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Knuckles' with the japanese Sonic 2. I'm impressed Sonic Team. Now, onto business. The main differences in the japanese and the european Sonic 2 is the cover art, the cartridge art and the instruction manuals. The cartridge is also a different shape to the european ones aswell which is very interesting: IMAGE Japanese Sonic 2 Cartridge IMAGE Japanese Sonic 2 Cover IMAGE Japanese and Japanese/English Language Instruction Booklets If you noticed above, there is two japanese instruction booklets; one is in japanese and the cover is in black and white and the other is in english and the cover is in colour. I don't know what the point of having an english and a japanese manual is but it definately makes it easier to understand the manual for us english people! Now the real intriging thing about the instruction booklet is the fact it uses a picture of the Sonic 2 Beta title screen. This must mean that while the manual was in production the game wasn't quite finished: IMAGE Another interesting point to pick up upon is the screenshot of the 2 player mode in the manual. You can clearly see on both sides of the screen the lifes counter says 'Sonic' on both Sonic and Tails. Another clear indication that this manual was made while Sonic 2 was still being finished. IMAGE So there you go, the japanese Sonic 2. Really, if you've already got the european copy of Sonic 2 then there is no point in getting the japanese version. But if you're a real geek like me and you find a copy cheap then go for it. It's a nice little piece of merchandise to own. But remember, you will need a japanese adapter to play the game. ~ Sonic Yoda